nomad

play

noun no·mad \ ˈnō-ˌmad , British also ˈnä- \

Definition of nomad

1 :a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory

For centuries nomads have shepherded goats, sheep, and cattle across the … semiarid grasslands …
—Discovery

2 :an individual who roams about

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.

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nomad

adjective

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nomadism

play \ˈnō-ˌma-ˌdi-zəm\ noun

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See nomad defined for kids

Examples of nomad in a Sentence

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.
after college she became quite the nomad, backpacking through Europe with no particular destination

Recent Examples of nomad from the Web

A notable percentage of nomads seemed to have at least flirted with different parts of the manosphere.

— benjamin wallace, Daily Intelligencer, "The Culthopping Twins Who Have Been Evangelicals, Rappers, and Digital Nomads," 12 July 2017
The number of nomads had fallen by 63% from the previous decade, the same survey by the Moroccan High Commission for Planning found.

— perry demarche, USA TODAY, "Climate change threatens nomadic life in Morocco," 4 July 2017
The proliferation of high-speed Internet and the affordability of laptops have combined to fuel the growing trend of digital nomads — people who rarely, if ever, set foot in an office cubicle.

— mia taylor, USA TODAY, "5 summer jobs you can take with you to the beach," 10 June 2017
By trying to escape the desert nomads are unwittingly accelerating the desertification of less arid areas, according to the group.

— tope alake, Bloomberg.com, "Advancing Sahara Desert Inflames Violent Struggle Over Land," 6 June 2017
A party followed with musicians the Fabulous Nomads, Big Wednesday and Gunnar Gehl.

— daily pilot staff, Daily Pilot, "24th parade welcomes summertime to Balboa Island," 5 June 2017
Herders, nomads and tribal villagers were living here when intrepid Westerners began visiting in the 17th century.

— patrick j. mcdonnell, chicagotribune.com, "ISIS militants battered Syria's ancient Palmyra, but signs of splendor still stand," 2 June 2017
Most of the population were nomads before their way of life was changed by colonists.

— vincent kituku, idahostatesman, "Drought produces famine in Kenya," 2 June 2017
And then there’s Tyson Fury, the British nomad who upset Klitschko in 2015 before being waylaid by mental and other issues.

— tim dahlberg, The Seattle Times, "Joshua, with heavyweight title, may make boxing must-see TV," 30 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nomad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.